


Lessons from old tales

by Rogercat



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Cousins, Dorne, Elia Martell Fanworks Week, F/M, Family Bonding, Gen, Growing Up, Motherhood, Parenthood, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26751484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rogercat/pseuds/Rogercat
Summary: Family was important for House Martell, and lessons from the past
Relationships: Aria Martell/Ihsan Jordayne, Doran Martell & Elia Martell & Oberyn Martell, Elia Martell & Aegon VI Targaryen, Elia Martell & Rhaenys Targaryen (Daughter of Elia), Lewyn Martell/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30
Collections: Elia Martell Fanworks Week, Southern Renaissance (Dorne Renaissance)





	Lessons from old tales

**Author's Note:**

> in my stories Elia's parents are named Aria and Ihsan

From a young age, Elia knew that her father Ihsan, the Prince consort of Dorne, held a very deep interest in old lore. But not for anything out of fancy, it had been something he had done since a very young age and he always made sure to mention that this was something previous generations had known and imagine what a loss it would be, if such links to old traditions and customs disappeared forever because people forgot the tales! 

“It might sound silly, but each one of those old things are a treasure in itself. Say a tale about a hidden treasure, where would it perhaps be hidden?” Ihsan responded when Oberyn asked about why the Prince consort was always reading those stories for them when it was almost bedtime. Reading a book of his own, Doran seemed to not take notice, but then again he was almost a full decade older than his two siblings and therefore knew the tales from before. 

“And they are not merely lessons about morals, they can hold secret clues to something that may be useful in the future,” Aria Martell added in, as she joined her family after her daily work. Being the ruling Princess of Dorne meant that she could not always spend time with her husband and children, so it felt like a special treat whatever it happened. 

“Good, because I do not want to listen to how the stupid Faith keep insisting about this and that being sinful,” Oberyn commented with a snorting, crossing his arms and legs as if saying that he would not change his mind about that. In return, Doran pretended to snore behind his book in an unspoken agreement with his brother, making Ihsan laugh. 

“Good to hear that my sons are more alike than what we often think!” 

Placing Elia in her lap, Aria took the book from her husband to choose a new tale. 

“Ah, this one I think is a good choice, about Ser Duncan the Tall and the young Aegon V!”

The three Martell children knew about the famous hedge knight turned Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and his life-long friendship with Aegon V that had started from the Tourney of Ashford Meadow. Now, Aria and Ihsan used those events to make a mental challenge. 

“So, children, what do you think are the lesson of Ashford?”’

Elia had an idea already, from how Duncan had acted to save Tanselle.

“Not every true knight needs to be highborn. They can be found in every social class.” 

“Don't be an entitled  _ jackass _ like Aerion,” Oberyn grinned, and Ihsan only tossed the small pillow on his younger son for using a word that would not be acceptable in high class company. 

“Try to not cause the death of a relative through your actions,” Doran added in, still not looking up from his own book. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X

In her parents, Elia saw the sort of marriage she would like, even if she would not love her husband she wanted to least have his respect to have a functional marriage. Perhaps she was not intended by Mother Rhoyne for a childhood friend to end up as her husband, for Aria hoped her daughter would be married into a powerful family of Westeros so they could have a better check on what happened outside the south. 

“Not the frozen North, at least. The heir of Rickard Stark is seven years younger than you, my daughter, and the climate would be horrible for your health.”

That Elia and Aria agreed on, not a too big age difference since that would lessen her chances to have several children before her monthly visitor stopped to arrive as a sign of her entering an older age. It was not common with a bride that was older than her future husband, at least not unless she was a childless widow who remarried. 

“It is too sad that Rhaella was married to her own brother before Aegon V could stop it, for I always felt that she and Doran would be a good match. The age difference of only two years between spouses is not that big when you look for the future.”

Elia knew that her mother deeply regretted that she had not managed to save Rhaella from the incestus marriage with her own brother, and that they still kept in touch by secret letters. The only things that kept Rhaella sane in her imprisonment and the growing number of children she lost. 

“If she gives birth to a daughter...surely she will pray to the Seven that there will be enough of an age difference that Rhaegar might not be able to afford waiting for his sister to be old enough for marriage?” 

“Oh yes. The Targaryens are so few in numbers now and Rhaella is the only female left as both her aunts had only sons, no daughters that could be a cousin to marry Aerys and their few female descendants are not even past being toddlers in the nursery yet. Maegor, the son of Aerion, died as a young boy from a horse accident that can happen to everyone who is training to become a knight, some people even saying that the fatal hit to his head at the landing was a delayed punishment aimed towards Aerion for causing the trial of seven that lead to Baelor Breakspear being killed by his own brother Maekar, for all of that it was a accident.”

Elia was grateful that she would be past sixteen when she married, for Aria did not want her daughter bound in a betrothal before that, or risk losing her in childbed because she was not mature enough for it. There was a chance that she might end up married to the three years younger Rhaegar, current Crown prince of Westeros, but Aria tried to keep him as a last resort because in Dorne, very few people married before the age of twenty. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X

She and her cousin Lemore Sand were twelve years old when uncle Lewyn's paramour Rhoyne added a final cousin to the current generation. The boy made them seven in total, four boys and three girls. 

“It seems like I beat you on having a big age gap between sons, dear sister. Arash is fifteen years older than little Morgan, after all.” 

That earned him a friendly smack in the head from Aria, while six-year-old Holly had to stand on her toes to peek over the edge of the cradle to see her baby brother. 

“Small,” was all she commented in an unsure manner, since Holly had been the baby of the family so far and likely did not yet understand what it meant to have an infant sibling around. Lucky, her two siblings and cousins were there for comfort if she ever would feel like all the attention went to Morgan. 

“Don't worry, Holly. He will grow fast, in a few months you will be able to play a little with him when he is bigger.”

All in all, Elia was pleased with her life. She had both parents still alive, two brothers so she was not an only child, several uncles and cousins on both sides of the family, for all of that the cousins from uncle Lewin were Sands instead of legalized Martells. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Rhaenys  **_Myriah_ ** Targaryen. Aegon  **_Maron_ ** Targaryen. Those were the names her children held, if anyone asked for their full names in the future, their second names after the two Martell siblings who had married a Targaryen spouse. Elia had been very exhausted after each birth, not having the strength to protest when Rhaegar named his children despite having an unnerving feeling of uneasiness. 

“Damn his choices of names!” Elia muttered under his breath, letting her infant son nurse from her breast so he would no longer be hungry. Not far from the bed, her young daughter was happy playing with her fabric doll that had been crafted after her beloved mother. 

Rhaenys was the name of the Queen of Aegon I who had been killed at Hellbolt, and the Queen Who Never Was, the daughter of Prince Aemon Targayren and Lady Jocelyn Baratheon.

And the name Aegon...well, it had been five ruling Kings named Aegon, and all of them had proved themselves vastly different in character. Not all of them held a very glorious legacy, so she really questioned the idea of her own son having to share that name. Aegon V was respected well enough at home in Dorne, because her parents had agreed that he had done his best to be a good king despite the later domestic disasters inside his own family and that his three oldest children had been very entitled by their father becoming the King of Westeros and suddenly were given special treatment by others. 

“I will not let my children marry each other, or be used as pawns for whatever Rhaegar is planning…”

No, if it turned out to be the best of her children, then Elia would gladly welcome widowhood in secret if Rhaegar died before he could become King and raise Rhaenys and Aegon to be decent people as adults. 

“Ma.”

The sound brought her back to the present. It was not Rhaenys who had spoken, she had a very clear voice.

“ **_Ma!_ ** ” Aegon repeated with a little more self-confidence over that she had reacted on his first try, raising his little hand against her face. 

“So that is what Rhaenys have been whispering to you lately! She was helping you with your first word!” Elia laughed in joy, smiling at her son who rewarded his mother with a happy face. A little victory over Rhaegar again, since both children had used “ma” as their first word and it would be very easy to teach them to call her madre later thanks to that. 

“Come, Aegon, let us write about this in a letter to your grandmother Rhaella. I am sure that she would be happy over hearing that you have learned your first word. And my family too, I am sure that this counts as something fun.” 

This afternoon suddenly became far better, in spite of that Rhaegar was away to the ruins of Summerhall again. 


End file.
